Posts Tagged ‘South Africa’

November already – we keep looking to the southern Alps for signs of snow but there is scant evidence to date. It would seem that the mountain bike lifts are closed and the ski lifts not yet open – where to go, what to do – go south with your mountain bike.

We want to draw attention to the 2010 Cape Epic – a mountain bike extreme that is held in South Africa. The race organisers are  www.cape-epic.com .

The race takes place every year around the last week of March and the first week of April and is held over 8 days and includes a time-trial prologue. The route changes every year, and leads aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world through approximately 800 kilometres of the unspoilt nature of the Western Cape and up approximately 16 000m of climbing over some of the most magnificent passes in South Africa.’

Entry costs about 2,300 euros or 3,300 US dollars per team which must consist of two people, so you have mens, ladies and mixed teams and generously the race organisers allow the title ‘master’ to their over 40s class!

As well as the very professional side to this race – it is UCI recognised, qualifies for UCI points and prize money is raced for – there is an underlying tone that the race should be fun for all the competitors – be they Billy the Whizz or Take it Ezzeeee characters riding for charity (another way to gain entry) – tented accommodation is provided and entertainment laid on at each of the night stops.

The first video from freesporttv shows the very tough first stage up Table Mountain above Cape Town in the 2009 race. As you will see it is not for the faint hearted.

The 2010 race runs from March 21st to March 28th when more than 600 teams from around the world will take on the Cape Epic, with main sponsors ABSA and adidas continuing with their support and significant TV coverage around the world, there will be many who will witness what has fast become one of the premiere annual mountain bike races.

The YouTube footage below is from 2009absacapeepic and shows some great action from stage 5 of this years race from Greyton to Oak Valley. If this one is for you you will need to plan well in advance – there is a long waiting list but you will only regret it if you do not try.

Yesterday we blogged about swimming with the world’s largest fish – today we turn to the land and report on riding the African elephant – planet earth’s largest land mammal.

Photo courtesy of Dana Allen and Wilderness Safaris

Riding an elephant has long been associated with the Indian elephant but only relatively recently have their African cousins been used for transporting people. www.southafrica.info takes up the story.

‘In 1997 a three-month-old elephant bull was found stuck in a silt dam near Hoedspruit in Limpopo. Discovered by Lente Roode, founder of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and now owner of Camp Jabulani, the exhausted and malnourished elephant calf was immediately taken to the centre.’

In 2002 Roode bought 12 trained elephants from Zimbabwe and introduced them to the the calf who had been called Jabulani – meaning ‘happiness’ and now 5 years old – and he became part of the herd. This was the start of safaris on elephant back in South Africa.

South Africa is not alone as a destination for safaris on elephant – two of the more famous locations where you can go on elephant back safaris are the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

The great advantage in viewing from such a vantage point is that the game is not frightened by the approach of an elephant with a strange lump on its back and so you can observe the animals in their natural environment.

In the video below from jonisea you can see how unperturbed the giraffe are as the elephants walk past. This video is shot in Zambia. At Jabulani Camp – named after the 3 month old elephant stuck in silt and saved –  in South Africa there is a chance of being able to see from your elephant Africa’s ‘Big Five’ – namely the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino – now that would be an extreme ride.

The Billabong Pro (BillabongUSA) is being held at the iconic Jeffreys Bay from July 9th – 19th.

Jeffreys Bay is the heart of South Africa’s surfing spots and offers some of the country’s best and most extreme waves. Well, normally it does, but today is another lay day for the competition because of abnormally dismal waves – 2-3ft or just about 1 metre only.

So why go all the way to Jeffreys Bay?

Well, for a start it has South Africa’s premier wave – the Supertube. Since ‘Supers’ as she is colloquially known, is the best wave on the coast, there can be quite a crowd. Getting out to it is a challenge and, if you have never been there before, it is best to watch how the locals do it otherwise you could end up being pounded. Locals have learnt to tolerate the invasion but they will not tolerate bad manners. However, if you wait your turn and show respect you will end up getting waves.  It might take a few sessions but once your face is recognized and you earn a reputation for being respectful, you won’t have any problems.

A SW wind is best for Supers and because of the sand dunes, the break is protected no matter how hard the SW blows.The wave is best in the 4 – 8 ft category.  On the better days the wave breaks from the top of the point and winds all the way along the reef, past the car park to an awesome barrel section.  Then its kick out time before the wave closes out at Impossibles.

Further down the point, one comes across a fun barrely wave called Tubes.  It is a short and sometimes intense ride but loads of fun. The wave is best in the 4 – 5 ft category and it is useful to know that on the bigger days there is a strong rip. Best when it’s offshore on a SW wind, it also likes a S or SW swell direction.  There is relatively small take off section, which means Tubes cannot hold a large crowd.

Point was the first wave discovered by long boarders in the early 1960’s.
Not as protected as the other waves on strong SW day’s, but it does handle a large swell.  The bowl offers some heavy take-offs, but after that the wave mellows out and becomes a bottom turn, cut back combination wave.  On a really good day, barrels can be found here as well.  A low tide means waves break right on the ledge and you can get fun waves here when it is too small to surf anywhere else. Point is best in the 3-8 ft range.

And then there’s Albatross. This wave is slightly out of town and works best on a NW wind and at low tide. It can be epic but it is usually better somewhere else – no doubt that’s why it’s called Albatross!

Boneyards is Boneyards for a reason – it breaks in very shallow water. It can be found at the top section of Supers and breaks both left and right. It works best with a  light NW wind.

Magnatubes is probably the heaviest wave in Jeffreys Bay. It’s gnarly, unpredictable and sometimes just plain nasty! It’s best at 3-5ft, needs a NW, and likes high tide.

Kitchen Window, or ‘Kitchens’, is a mellow reef break which is very underrated. A light SW wind is best on a mid tide.

Main Beach is the least exciting of them all and generally closes out.

You might now understand why the  Billabong Pro surf contest is held each July at Supertubes…  Despite the inconsistent conditions today, improved swell models indicate a better outlook for the coming days.

And it’s not only surfers who enjoy Jeffreys Bay. Watch this lovely video from scubaduck, and with thanks to David Attenborough for his, as always, fine production.

We trust no one will be upset by cycle polo which from our research would appear to be gathering an increasing number of players, supporters and countries that play the game. Having said that we have not been able to find anything about the 2009 tournaments and so we would be delighted to hear from enthusiasts of the sport of what is happening, when and where, so we can post a blog and keep people informed.

Traditional bicycle polo is played in a rectangular grass field, 150 meters by 100 meters officially, unofficially whatever field is big enough or whatever surface is smooth enough. Moreover, official dimensions can vary between 120 and 150 meters in length on 80 to 100 meters in width.

The game was invented by an Irishman, Richard J. Mecredy, in 1891 and has seen a sharp spike in interest since the turn of this century and new teams are sprouting up across the world.

Today there is organized cycle polo being played in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

The 1980s saw the rise of two new powers in cycle polo, India and USA. The Cycle Polo Association of India was officially created in 1966 and the Bicycle Polo Association of America was created in 1994.

International cycle polo matches staged a comeback in the 1990s with the first world championship organized in 1996 in the USA. Teams from India, USA and Canada participated with India winning the title.

Today the game has become more urban and is played on tennis courts and the like where a hard surface presents a fast and exciting game.

See the video below from cleancut62 of some action from a recent game which demonstrates there is more than just a little skill in riding a bike required – the crashes are pretty hard but it looks a lot of fun.

The final installment of this trilogy will be about Segway polo….stay tuned!

As we move into mid April it is time to be thinking of putting away the skis and snowboards and at the same time dusting off the mountain bike. A little time spent at this time of year ensuring you have the right kit will help you to avoid disappointment when you get a sudden call from a mate to go out to the mountains only to find you never had the brake fixed on your bike. So here are a few reminders.

Body protection and your helmet

You may well have grown an inch or so since last year so it is as well to check out the kit you wear.

The single most important item of personal clothing for downhill mountain biking your helmet – ensure you always wear a helmet to protect your head against accidental falls. It is not enough to assume that you are talented and very competent to perform downhill mountain biking because safety is a very important issue as well. On no account must you put your life in peril and so wearing a helmet at all times is the best downhill mountain biking tips that you can get.

Other kit will include shoes, gloves and knee and elbow protectors – again you will have probably grown and there is nothing more uncomfortable than forcing your feet into a pair of shoes half a size too small. We also recommend that you take a light weight back pack – so important for carrying that Mars Bar or other essential sustenance which is so appreciated after an hours biking. We also recommend you ensure your body is well hydrated whilst mountain biking so take along enough liquids and water to ensure that you don’t get thirsty.

Your bike

Maybe Santa crammed a brand new mountain bike down the chimney but whatever the situation and this applies to new bikes as well it is very well worth your while giving your bike the once over. Check nothing is loose, the saddle, the handle bars, the chain – check the brakes are working properly and the gears are sliding from one to another in the right manner. Oil the chain, check the pedals, make sure the tyres are in good order and you have no punctures, check the tyre pressure. Nothing too onerous here – just some basic common sense.

Where to go

It pays to search for relevant downhill mountain biking tips. One place where you can find useful downhill mountain biking tips of where to go is through online sources and via mountain biking forums. We also suggest (if you are not already) that you become a member of a downhill mountain biking club. Never be afraid of asking a question: mountain bikers are on the whole a friendly crowd and always willing to share their tips and experiences

So get ready for what will be a wonderful summer of mountain biking and we thought you would like to see the video below from XTremeVideo of some great action shot in South Africa, Andorra, Spain, the UK , France and Italy.

Ok so that was rather extreme, but that is what we are all about – whatever you skill levels we hope you have a great time.

Drag racing – the zenith of extreme sports? And a sport we have not often talked about – something we decided to change having done a little research and watched the video below from ProModFil which shows an unbelievable and horrific crash at 280 mph from which the driver survived but suffered CRAFT.

So what is drag racing? Our friends from Wikipedia put it quite simply – a competition in which vehicles compete to be the first to cross a set finish line, usually from a dead stop, and in a straight line. In other words you go flat out!

But within the sport there is a myriad of jargon, organisations – the two major ones in North America being the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), classes – both professional and non professional, and a glossary that would fill a dictionary. Don’t worry guys – we’re going to keep it simple!

The fastest cars can attain terminal speeds of over 530 km/h (329 mph) while covering the quarter mile (440 yard) distance in roughly 4.45 seconds. It is often related that dragsters are the fastest accelerating vehicles on earth; quicker even than the space shuttle launch vehicle or a catapult-assisted jet fighter at launch.

Before each race each driver is allowed to perform a ‘burnout’ which heats the tires and lays rubber down at the beginning of the track, therebye improving traction, he or she then lines up, or ’stages’, at the starting line.

Professional drag races are started electronically, with a series of vertically-arranged lights known as a Christmas Tree – in itself a performance and where racers can often be disqualified by trying to jump the gun.

The race has three measurements taken:

• reaction time – the time from the green light illuminating to the vehicle leaving the starting line
• elapsed time – the time from the vehicle leaving the starting line to crossing the finish line
• speed – indicates the approximate maximum speed of the vehicle during the run and is measured by a speed gun near the finish line

The winner is the first vehicle to cross the finish line.

Now this first video of Jerry Caminito’s crash does not really show the racing element so we have decided to add another video which is a compilation of drag racing, often presumed by the uninitiated to be a preserve of North Americans – but there is now a thriving and growing following of the sport in Europe and the South Africans have long been nuts about this extreme. The video comes from mannyrego.

Oh and if you are still wondering what CRAFT is……..Can’t Remember A F……….Thing! We know what you mean Jerry.